Hans Beck of Playmobil Fame Dies Aged 79

Hans Beck, the inventor of the Playmobil range of toys, has died at the age of 79.

His Playmobil toys, designed to fit a child's small hands, initially failed to take off when launched in 1974, but following the purchase of the entire first year's production by a Dutch toy firm and the re-launch the following year, Beck's Playmobil became a resounding success.

More than 2 billion of the units have been produced since then.

Read more here.

House Sale Hits Bum Note For Beck

Beck, with two homes on the market, has cut the asking price of his Malibu home from $2,399,000 to $2,345,000. On a grander scale, he has slashed the asking price on his Hancock Park house from $9,000,000 to a much more modest $7,350,000.

Seems like even musicians are at the mercy of the monetary meltdown. Shame.

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Clayton Beck Investigation Draws No Conclusion

Clayton Beck, a skiing coach at Alpine Meadows, was a fixture in the local skiing community and trained Olympians Johnny Mosely and Shannon Bahkre.

Investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board into the July 2 airplane crash that took Beck’s life found no mechanical failures in the plane, heavy smoke in the Sierra Valley, but draws no conclusions.

The investigation included the Nevada County Sheriff’s Department where the missing person report was filed, the Sierra County Sheriff’s Department where the death occurred and the safety board, which is investigating the crash, said Sheriff-Coroner John Evans with the Sierra County office.

“For our part we determined the cause of death — massive multiple blunt-force trauma from crashing into the ground and trees — we determined the death as an accident,” Evans said.

Read the full Sierra Sun article here.

Amber Beck To Address Community Members At Panola Junior College

On November 1st, student Amber Beck will address community members at Panola Junior College in Carthage, discussing how she's been able to overcome the limitations of cerebral palsy.

Ms. Beck, who enjoys modeling and acting, said she's determined to gain full mobility in her legs and arms some day.

Read the full Marshall News Messenger article here.

Find out more abour Cerebral Palsy here.

Darren Beck Wins The 2008 Callaway Hi-Lite Pro-Am

New South Wales professional Darren Beck has blown a top quality field out of the water at the 2008 Callaway Hi-Lite Pro-Am and after rounds of 65 at Royal Pines and 69 at Robina Woods is also crowned the 2008 QLD PGA Champion.

The $100,000 Callaway Hi-lite Pro-Am is the richest two day pro-am in Australia.

Beck, who has now won this event two out of the past three years, mentioned that the $18,000 prizemoney won has come at a great time.

"I am off to India tomorrow and it looks like I will play the next few weeks on the Asian Tour so to have a large amount going into the bank account will definitely take the pressure off over the coming weeks."

When asked about winning the QLD PGA Championship, Beck was thrilled to be in fine company.

"When I was having some photos taken with the trophy I had a look at the names on it and was amazed as to who had actually won the title. If my career ends up being half as successful as theirs I will be a very happy man" said Beck.

Read the full PGA article here.

Education Committee Approves Jennifer Beck Bill

The Senate Education Committee has approved legislation sponsored by Senator Jennifer Beck that would prevent school employees from receiving tuition assistance or salary increases for degrees earned at so-called “diploma mills.” The legislation, S-2127, was introduced in response to revelations that school administrators in Freehold had received both tuition assistance and pay raises after completing doctoral programs at Breyer State University, an unaccredited online school that provides advanced degrees in exchange for little more than the tuition that is paid.

“The public should not pay teachers or administrators for receiving degrees that aren’t worth the paper they are printed on,” said Beck. “We can protect property taxpayers by going on the offensive and cracking down on the use of fake degrees that do little more than pad resumes and serve as justification for higher salaries.”

Read the full article here.

Julie B Beck Addresses LDS About Female Empowerment.

At a recent conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Julie B Beck spoke of the Relief Society's founding in 1842 as a mobilization of "the collective power of the women and their specific assignments to build the Lord's kingdom." This was a far cry from her previous speach in which she urged women to hasten and not limit their child bearing, and spoke of the virtues of good housekeeping.

As reported in the Salt Lake Tribune, Beck called up memories of pioneer women who faced persecution, traveled across oceans and unforgiving ground, buried husbands and children, "because the fire of their faith burned in their souls." She gave credit to Relief Society women who bolstered and inspired her, when Beck's own mother was living outside the country. And she encouraged women, all women, to seize opportunities for service. "Thousands upon thousands of you who do not currently have a husband or children are an incredible reservoir of faith, talent, and dedication. . . Relief Society needs you." And, to the new arrivals coming out of the Young Women Program, she added, "I have seen how your hearts yearn to make a difference for good in the world. . . We simply cannot afford to squander your youthful and energetic power."

Read the full Salt Lake Tribune article here.